Asian Indian Culture, History, Statistics People & Events in Oklahoma

Their religion, their dance performances, associations with others of their language and beliefs and their food all help those in Oklahoma whose ancestry traces back to India keep touch with their homeland.

Guldeep Singh has worked hard to turn the India Palace in Tulsa into one of the state’s finest Indian restaurants. Like many of Oklahoma’s Asian Indian immigrants his success was built on hard work. Guldeep has been working hard in the restaurant business since he travelled from Jalandhar, Punjab, to Santa Fe, N.M., at 19 years old. He went straight to work at a restaurant, also called India Palace, where he worked as a chef and as a server.

Asian Indian Resources

Several leaders with the Sikh Gurdwara of Oklahoma, a group of metro area Sikhs, met Wednesday to talk about safety measures that may need to be put in place in the aftermath of a fatal shooting at a Wisconsin Sikh temple.

Through food, dance, language and worship, people of Asian Indian descent express their culture in Oklahoma. Many different religions are practiced in India, but among Oklahoma’s Asian Indians, Christianity is particularly well represented. Many of the state’s Asian Indians come from southern India, which has a sizeable Christian minority.

In 1920, the first Asian Indian resident in Oklahoma was reported as a “Hindu” in the census. By 1930, that number had risen to five and a decade later there were 10 Asian Indians in Oklahoma.
A change in immigration law in the 1970s led to more immigration from India. By this time, many of Oklahoma’s 2,880 Asian Indian immigrants were professionals who held one or more college degrees

While no 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates information is available for Asian Indian Oklahomans because the population falls below the 20,000 threshold, this chart includes Asian Oklahomans of more than one race.